


The Reaper

by DarkDragonoftheNever



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, devil/angel au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2017-12-21 23:35:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkDragonoftheNever/pseuds/DarkDragonoftheNever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grim Reapers are the result of Lucifer’s rebellion against Heaven, as they are the ones that took neither side. As a punishment, they ferry the souls of mortals to their destinations: be it Heaven or Hell. Gilbert is one such Reaper, and has no luck when it comes to avoiding his old kin; be they from Heaven or a resident of Hell.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a very fast writer by a long shot, and will be working on this story slowly, but it will eventually get done! Any feedback will be helpful, but just as long as you enjoy this little adventure I'll be happy! Hope not to disappoint!

Gilbert took another look at the little book that he held in his hands with a small sigh. Children always annoyed him the worst. They always asked impossible questions and he never knew the right answers. There were a few children he regretted to take, they were bright and knew what he was. And that they were leaving the world behind. They didn’t ask such annoying questions, but were still sad until they were lead to the gates.

The Lord had a thing for children. It was bittersweet, to see them happily bound off for a place that he was never allowed to touch again. And only get glimpses of if he was lucky. But he was steadfast in his decision then and there was no room for regret now. Not with the one staring at him, he wasn’t sure why the other one was here. But this child was destined for Heaven, and he would not let the one before him stall his work.

“You sure you can’t spare this one,” the demon asked with a small sigh. Curled horns looked menacing even as the face that started into Gilbert’s own was bored. “I’m sure the Lord would forgive one little mishap. After all, look at you. You know how _merciful_ He is.”

[[MORE]]“This child is going where the book says,” Gilbert replied, snapping it shut, tucking it back into his black robes. His hood was not yet up, so he didn’t shield his glare from the other. “How about you go find a victim that you can actually have influence over? You’re wasting both of our time.”

“Oh, that wounds me,” the demon said, pouting now, tail going back and forth lazily. “You know, you could have been a great de-“

“Shut up,” Gilbert snapped. He was irritated already because he had to take yet _another_ child into Heaven and would most likely be bombarded with questions. He didn’t have the patience to deal with ‘could haves’ or ‘would haves’ of a past he couldn’t change. Not anymore anyway. “The kid is going to Heaven, I am taking her there, and you’re going to slink back down into that pit of yours and complain on how ‘oh the mean reaper wouldn’t give me one measly child’s soul’ and I’m sure Lucifer will hear every complaint.”

The demon snorted at that, and if anything, the pout grew larger, icy blue eyes looking like they were going to tear up. Crocodile tears worked on mortals, sure, but Gilbert was higher than that. Or so he liked to often think. This punishment didn’t dull his ego one bit, if anything, it made it sharper.

The time was drawing closer. Gilbert could hear the heartbeat. That was always the first sign. He didn’t have too much time to argue with this demon. He idly wondered where the Guardian was. Usually they liked to be around in their mortal’s last minutes, as well as the demon assigned to them to try to tempt them into hell. Sometimes souls were abandoned for another as soon as the reaper showed up, which Gilbert liked the best. He didn’t have to deal with any jabs at his fallen status or the fact that he would have to explain (again) to a demon that nothing could stop him from completing his task.

“You know Lucifer is too busy,” the demon pouted. “Even Satan is busy nowadays. You know, with the influx of souls and all. You seem to get the most that go into heaven though. Maybe you’ll be forgiven before the rest of them.”

“You know, Alfred,” Gilbert hissed, pulling down his hood, concealing his face, “you’re still the most annoying being in all of the 16 planes.”

“Oh~,” Alfred said, fake swooning. “Oh I thought you were Ivan’s~ I had no idea that you felt that way about me! The Great Reaper Gilbert has feelings for little old me! Oh I have to spread this around Hell!”

Gilbert sighed again, wishing the other would just… go away. Or even stop existing. It had been at least 50 years since he last had to deal with Alfred and he only wished that it had been longer. The heartbeat was growing slower. It really wouldn’t be long now. He could only hope that this little girl was a quiet one, but he wasn’t holding his breath. Luck was rarely on his side after all.

“Ivan’s going to be _sooooo_ jealous,” Alfred continued, wings fluttering behind him. “I think he’ll be the one I’ll tell first!”

“Don’t you have something better to do,” Gilbert asked. “Like go after something you can actually get into Hell? I’m sure that a _great_ demon like yourself _should_ be able to get _something_ out there. I mean, have you met your kin from after the Fall? They don’t know how to tempt worth shit.”

Alfred waved a hand, unconcerned. “Because you’re always the most fun to mess with! All the other Reapers lost their flare millennia ago. Do you know boring it is talking to a wall? It’s even more boring to talk to someone who can cry at a word.”

Some Reapers took the punishment worse than others, Gilbert heard stories, and only ran into another once where they had seen him and cried. It was always harder to see others with the same fate, of being forever cast out, but Gilbert was over it. Who could be lonely when he had all these mother fucking demons hounding after him and angels scorning him?

There it was, the final heartbeat. Gilbert looked down at the small child, she couldn’t be more than 3, and just stared at him, curious. Maybe this would go better than he thought. He reached an open palm out to her, the child looking at it questioningly before catching the sight of Alfred’s Cheshire grin and holding onto it desperately.

“Good child,” Gilbert cooed softly, leading her away. The path to Heaven opened before him, at least to the gates. “Come now. You will feel no pain here.”

The child didn’t look like she understood quite, but followed anyway, pressing up against Gilbert’s sides, gripping his robe with her other hand as Alfred leaned over her bed and now still, cooling body.

“Such a shame. She would have looked adorable as a demon,” Alfred said, still smiling. “Come on now. Don’t you want power? They won’t give it to you there. Come with me. We’ll have _real_ fun.”

The girl didn’t move from Gilbert, and instead shook away from Alfred, moving towards the golden path.

“Good little one,” Gilbert said, leading the girl quickly into the closing portal. He didn’t want to hear anymore of Alfred for hopefully a very long time. He stood at the gates, the gold shining from an inner light that Gilbert had once been welcomed into.

With a sigh, he watched them open, he could never see it for long, but he always looked anyway, and saw familiar places. The places he learned to fly. Where he learned his Gift. Places he tumbled with his brothers and sisters in playful fits all under the smile of the guiding light.

The little child’s soul went in, and the gates snapped shut. Gilbert remembered when he tried to get in a few times when this was new, when he was first given this destiny. With a snort, he turned back around on the path, looking at his book. He didn’t have another appointment for a little while, time went at a different pace on the plane he was a part of. Something he was thankful for.

With another sigh, Gilbert spread his ashen wings. They were once a pure white, like his brothers, but turned this color when the Holy Light could no longer touch him. At least they hadn’t fallen off and replaced with the ugly wings that they demons possessed. Lifting off was effortless to Gilbert as he circled back into the portal to earth, to wander for a little and just enjoy what he could from the mortal plane.

At least while he could. Because all too soon it would become nothing itself and then he truly would have nothing to look forward to.


	2. Chapter Two

Lightning was always so fascinating to Gilbert. It reminded him of the war that he only looked onward upon. The flashes of air and fire combining to make something that destroyed everything that it touched. The echoing aftermath as loud as the crashes that he still remembered so clearly, thunder was his least favorite part of it all. He wondered sometimes if this was part of his punishment, never letting the reason that he was here on this plane fade like most of his memories seemed to at times. 

[[MORE]]“You really shouldn’t dwell at storms like this,” Ivan said, looking up just as Gilbert was. He had heard from Alfred already about what had transpired between the two. Where he trusted that Gilbert was his and his alone,  he still liked to make sure from time to time. Demons were greedy after all. And Ivan liked to think that his own greed topped all else. “I see it in your eyes. They make you uncomfortable.”

Gilbert didn’t jump or anything when he heard the familiar smooth voice. He felt one of his wings twitch but that was about it. At least it wasn’t an Angel come to taunt him. It always made him feel worse that his Gift wasn’t anything offensive, because his strength couldn’t compare and he didn’t even have a good Gift to try to back himself up with. 

“You here because of Alfred,” Gilbert asked, not changing his position of laying down amidst the clouds, watching the lightning flicker above and below him. “Annoying prick needs to learn to go after targets that he can actually get. And leave us Fallen alone.”

“He just likes to strike up conversation,” Ivan said pleasantly, sitting beside Gilbert. Storm clouds were always the most comfy for him. Dark, heavy with rain and hail, and held the capacity of destruction. That and Angels never hid in storms. They thought it was ‘beyond them’ or something crude like that. “But I just had to _make sure_ he did not touch you.”

Gilbert lifted his head from where it was, pillowed on his arms. He gave Ivan a scandalous look, biting back the urge to spit in the other’s face. “I wouldn’t like that _cur_ touch me if it meant getting back into Heaven!”

Ivan made a face at that. 

“Don’t use words like ‘cur’. You begin to sound like Roderich when you do that.”

“What have a crush on him too,” Gilbert jeered, knowing full well that Ivan would deny it. Most demons never liked it when they were said that they had any affection towards Angels. Not that Gilbert hadn’t seen some ‘forbidden’ love things going on. Their Creator made that flaw in all of them. Even let Fallen keep it themselves: the capacity to love another being. There were times it made Gilbert sick to think about it, and other times laugh. It was the cruelest joke if he ever heard one.

The glower on Ivan’s face was worth the taunting he had to endure. It also made him feel a little better.

“Just do not let others touch you,” Ivan said with a huff and disappeared, leaving Gilbert once again to his own devices.

Riding on the storm cloud in peace now, Gilbert allowed himself to grin a little, feeling like he got some sort of revenge, even when in reality he really didn’t gain a thing.

\--

“You know you should stop this petty bickering,” Lucifer said boredly, head resting on his hand as he sat upon his throne. The two Devils below him snarling at each other. “You know our time will soon be at hand. We don’t have time for this.”

“It wouldn’t be so hard if _some people_ would stop putting souls where they don’t belong,” one snarled, causing Lucifer to once again, role his eyes. 

“I am doing my job as best I can with the numbers I’m getting pushed with,” the other snarled back. “With all the new ones we’ve been getting-“

“I’m tired of this,” Lucifer said finally, standing and leaving the other two. “You both have jobs to do, and it’d be best if you get to it. We need more souls if we’re going to take on Heaven again, and I want this battle to at least have something more than us getting defeated from it. 

“I want those fools to realize that these creations are more than good little pets.  They are worth much more than that. I think Heaven needs to realize that.”

The Devils looked at each other, scurrying off before Lucifer said another word, which had the King of Hell smiling to himself smugly. At least he didn’t have to teach them the hard way. He hated it when he had to get his hands dirty with his subordinates like that. Plus it never looked well on him when he did that. 

He was the head Devil after all. He prided himself on having more tact than that. And it was always nice to show that he had some sort of self-control. He flexed his wings a bit, staring out into the abyss that he learned to call home. That he learned to love after too many years to count after being sentenced in here. 

All because he said he loved the humans, the creations, more that the one that created them seemed to. 

With a snide look, arrogant even, the once favorite turned his back to the pits, and sat back upon his throne, thinking of how little time there was left to collect and prepare. But growing excited about it at the same time.

He would show them.

He would show them _all_.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Again, I just write when the inspiration. But hopefully that will come more often with the fact that my hours at work have been reduced somewhat, giving me more time and energy for writing. The only problem might be a change in writing style, I'm not the best with having a consistent one. Still, I hope it's still enjoyable.

Chapter Three

A hand in his own, Gilbert walked the damned down to the Gates of Hell. He kept protesting every step of the way, the drone going on in the back of Gilbert's mind the entire way. This wasn't his fault. He shouldn't be going to pay for something that he had no idea that he had done. It was some other mortal's fault. Fate. Something out of his own control. Gilbert once sympathized, but no longer. He had been alive too long, doing this ferrying too long, to really give the mortal any heed. Especially since the soul knew exactly where he was destined to go.

"You should have thought about it earlier than on your death bed," Gilbert shrugged, his grip never faulting. Souls always thought that they could try and get away, it was almost sad really, and pathetic. No one could escape a Fallen's grasp.

There was more shouting, more denials. Gilbert sighed to himself and kept walking along the path, not exactly happy at the face that greeted him at the Gates. They arrived at the Gates, two looming towers of slate that didn’t seem special at all. Not with the way that the mortals always seemed to imagine it. There were no skeletons just hanging around, no screaming heard from the other side, nothing. If one was just looking at it, Gilbert was sure that anyone would just mistake them for just gates to something like perhaps a mansion of some sort. Nothing flashy like Heaven liked, and they even had a visible guard.

It always amazed him, the differences between the two, it almost made him happy he didn’t pick a side. Yes, he was pretty much the unwanted child of both, but at least he had a purpose and free reign of the universe.

He nodded at the guard, disappointed at who it was. Romano never liked him and Gilbert couldn't say that he was all too happy about the Demon either. Their interaction was silent, which suited Gilbert just fine.

Thrusting the soul over to the Gatekeeper, the Demon snorted and turned around, muttering something just out of earshot, but Gilbert wasn't looking for a fight. Not right now anyway.

The Gates opened and Gilbert turned around, he hated looking into Hell. Even though it would be nice to know that there would be a place for him to call home, the parts that he had seen did not impress him much, and he was keen on not looking at them whenever he had the chance. It didn't help the smell just seemed to stick to him forever after an encounter.

The soul that he took there was screaming as he was pulled in by what he was sure where living shadows. Lucifer was always creative when it came to creatures, he had to give the old Devil that much at least. Not that he liked to give credit to either him or the Creator. Not with the position that he was looking forward to.  
Listening to the creak of the Gates closing, Gilbert went to leave, stopped only by a familiar voice that he couldn’t seem to deny.

"Gilbert wait," a voice shouted, causing Gilbert to turn around, to see a large Demon bounding towards him. "You come all the way here and do not even have little Romano tell me that you are here!"

"I'm just delivering another soul, Ivan," Gilbert said, thankful when the doors shut and the smell somewhat subsided. "Don't you have work or something to do yourself?"

Waving his hand, Ivan hugged the smaller being to him, Gilbert getting a good look at the disgust of Romano's face at the scene. He wasn't ever the happiest in Heaven either, but separated from his brother, well, Gilbert could almost sympathize. He almost wanted to start another fight with the Demon, snarking that at least he had someone happy to see him, but the moment was over, and their eye contact lost and therefore, the ire.

"You should know that there is movement," Ivan said like an excited child, violet eyes aglow with a sort of excitement that Gilbert hadn't seen in a very long time. "There is movement and you should be preparing yourself!"

"There is always movement Ivan," Gilbert said, a bit shaken. No, it couldn't be yet. He wasn't eager to be destined to spend the rest of all eternity with a bunch of other Fallen, all crying at the experiences they were never meant to have because their stance on a war that really shouldn't have even happened in their opinion.

"No, there are larger movements now," Ivan said, tail slowly wagging back and forth, like he was trying to keep his excitement in.

"Hey Ivan don't be giving away too much," Romano bit from the Gates. "This is still a war after all."

"Don’t worry about it comrade," Ivan laughed. "A Fallen cannot fight this war just like they couldn't fight the first!"

That comment stung, but Gilbert shrugged it off. There were many jokes at his kind's expense, both from Angels and Demons alike. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight in this war, to finally get a place, it was that there was no place for him to fight, just like there would be no place for him to go to.

Romano snorted, and took his seat back at the Gate like he was supposed to. He still didn't like the idea of spreading information that could get to the other side.

Pressing a quick kiss to Gilbert's forehead, Ivan peeled himself away with a wave and disappeared into the air. Apparently the Demon had some work to do after all. Gilbert watched him go, before realizing that someone was right there before disappearing himself.

The quiet that he launched himself in was better than dealing with the stares of others, but it would seem that he was not meant to be left alone this day, as there was a bright light like a flash and before him was a stern face he was not too keen on seeing. He had chosen this little spot on the ocean because it was somewhere no one would look for him, or even start looking. It was a running joke that Gilbert was like a raven and liked the forests. It worked to his favor most days since that way, he could come to a place like this and not be bothered.

Standing up straighter, his robe looking much bigger on his frame than he wanted, Gilbert stared into blue eyes that were like icy fire. He had seen balls of blue this bright in the vastness of the universe the Creator prided Himself on, and if there was ever a description Gilbert felt right about the eyes he stared into now, a burning star was the accurate comparison.

The Angel was taller than him enough that Gilbert had to tilt his head to look up at the Angel in his eyes. Blonde hair and pale features that almost mirrored his own had Gilbert’s face slowly falling. He knew this Angel very well, and there were times where he almost missed the times where they were closer. When they were warmed by Heaven and that they were closer than the hatred that was bred between them now. He wished sometimes that the Angel would just forget about him already, because Gilbert knew that he would never be able to.

"It has been a long time," the deeper voice said, much deeper than Gilbert remembered. Then again, that was before the war, when everything seemed smaller and less harsh than it was now.

"What do you want," Gilbert almost hissed. It wasn't like him to come down from Heaven to the mortal realm. The word through the grape vine was that the other was promoted after his brave attempts during the war, not that it surprised Gilbert. The Angel was always good at what he did, and was rather good with using his abilities to his advantage.

"I want to warn you, brother," the Angel said, expression slowly changing from a stern to almost concerned, something was off. They didn’t have civil conversations anymore, Gilbert’s eyes narrowed slightly at it. What was he trying to pull?

"I thought you told me in no uncertain terms that we are no longer related," Gilbert said, his frown slowly deepening. "What is your real reason, Ludwig."

"Brother I am worried," Ludwig said, looking around, not being in the safety of Heaven usually brought upon paranoia, especially with such sensitive topics. "Things are moving faster-"

"Just stop with this, the end is coming, I know it, you know it, and let me tell you Hell isn't sitting still either," Gilbert bit, maybe with a little more violence than he wanted. The end was near thing was getting old, he had been hearing about it since mortals learned to screech it from their hill tops.

Where did care for Ludwig, he knew that there was no repairing their relationship. Mostly since Ludwig, in no uncertain terms, told him that they had no relation and any other encounter they had, well, it left Gilbert nursing worse wounds than he wanted to remember at the moment. "Don't pretend that you're worried about the fate of the Fallen. Not with the way that you have acted before."

"It's going to be worse than anticipated- Have you been hanging out with that damned," Ludwig started and stopped when Gilbert gave him a look. It wasn't any of his business usually, he knew what he said eons before. Still, if the Fallen were aligning themselves with Hell, well, the fight may be harder than he wanted. That was the real reason he was here. He had to find out if his suspicions were true or not. It would put his mind at ease.

"What if I have," Gilbert asked, smirking, and leaning forward a bit, spreading his ashen wings a bit, giving him a larger, more intimidating look. Ludwig was finally showing his true colors. Just a little more, Gilbert knew just to push a little more and get the conformation that he wanted for the sake of his broken pride. "You nor Heaven care what I do anymore. What's the real reason you found me, Ludwig."

"Are you aligning with them," Ludwig ground out, Gilbert smiling more as the fire behind those icy eyes seemed to intensify. Those were his brother's true emotions, Gilbert knew it. So that's what Heaven's game was, he felt a little sick at the accusation, but at the same time, it was expected. He was sure that Hell had its own spies searching those that communed with the Heavenly Host more often than not then.

"I can't," Gilbert replied with a shrug. "Just like I couldn't align with you. You know the rules, Ludwig."

With that, the Angel disappeared with a flash of light, that had Gilbert sighing in frustration. He didn't want to be tried to pull into a fight again. Not with his powers a shade of what they were, he looked down at his hands and scoffed before deciding on a different spot. Somewhere he couldn't be found.

Somewhere he could pretend that he wasn't going to be pulled in different directions very soon. All for the sake of the egos of two beings that couldn't stand being in the other's shadow again. He didn't fight before. What made them think that he was going to just surrender to their wills now?


End file.
